Hearing Health Foundation
Prevention | Research | Cure
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Hearing Health Foundation (HHF) is dedicated to preventing and finding cures for hearing loss, tinnitus, and related conditions. Hearing loss and its variants affect more an estimated 500 million people worldwide but there are no known cures.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Emerging Research Grants (ERG) Program
Through this program, HHF provides seed money to up-and-coming hearing researchers, particularly those whose work is focused on areas of otology that have routinely been under-researched and under-represented through traditional funding mechanisms. The work of former recipients has led to dramatic innovations in hearing and balance science. Most researchers we fund go on to obtain National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding for their work.
Our grants have resulted in treatments for hearing and balance related conditions helping those living with hearing loss and protecting those at risk. Hearing Health Foundation-funded research has led to dramatic innovations in hearing and balance science, such as cochlear implants, surgical therapy for otosclerosis, hair cell regeneration, and auditory research. Please see more at hhf.org/erg.
Hearing Restoration Project (HRP)
Hearing Health Foundation’s Hearing Restoration Project (HRP) is the first international research consortium investigating the regeneration of sensory cells in the ear (hair cells) as a cure for hearing loss and tinnitus.
Organized into three working groups, the overarching principle of the HRP consortium is cross-discipline collaboration: open sharing of data and ideas. By having almost immediate access to each other’s data, HRP scientists are able to perform follow-up experiments much faster, rather than having to wait years until data is published.
Primary treatments for hearing loss have been hearing aids and cochlear implants. While these have been successful, they have limitations. Most people who have lost hearing have done so through noise damage or aging, and may be candidates for hair cell regeneration or restoration. Please see more at hhf.org/hrp.
Prevention and Education
Hearing Health Foundation remains committed to keeping the community informed about our research progress as well as educating the public about hearing loss and prevention. Through our award-winning, quarterly magazine Hearing Health, our monthly emailed newsletter Hearing Health E-News, and our weekly blog, we keep you informed about the latest research and technology as well as our education and prevention efforts. Our daily social media updates on Facebook (facebook.com/HearingHealthFoundation) and Twitter (@HearingHealthFn) encourage people to ask and answer questions in a vibrant exchange of news, advice, and opinions.
Where we work
Affiliations & memberships
Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance - Organization 2016
Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance - Organization 2017
External reviews
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of return website visitors
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, People with hearing impairments
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Number of returning visitors to our website, hhf.org. Note that as of 2024 with Google Analytics GA4, only a rounded number is available.
Number of unique website visitors
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, People with hearing impairments
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Users that have had at least one session within the selected date range. Includes both new and returning users.
Total value of Emerging Research Grants (ERG) awarded
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
People with hearing impairments
Related Program
Emerging Research Grants (ERG) Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Total $ of Emerging Research Grants by fiscal year (Oct 1Sep 30). For FY 2020, amount reflects a realignment of the ERG grants cycle to the financial accounting year. For more, see hhf.org/erg.
Number of website sessions
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, People with disabilities
Related Program
Prevention and Education
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
A session is the period-time a user is actively engaged with our website, hhf.org.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
The mission of Hearing Health Foundation (HHF) is to prevent and cure hearing loss and tinnitus through groundbreaking research, and promote hearing health. HHF's vision is to have a world where people can enjoy life without hearing loss and tinnitus.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Since 1958, Hearing Health Foundation has awarded more than 2,000 grants that fund emerging hearing and balance research. Our Emerging Research Grants (ERG) program fills a critical need for young researchers embarking on their scientific careers. It prepares these talented hearing and balance scientists for future funding from the National Institutes of Health, and each year HHF congratulates a new crop of alumni who have achieved that goal. HHF estimates that for every ERG dollar, federal funding matches that funding with $47.
In 2011, HHF launched the Hearing Restoration Project (HRP) is a consortium of scientists at world-renowned institutions working collaboratively to develop a biologic cure for hearing loss and tinnitus. The HRP consortium model aims to accelerate the timeline to a cure by eliminating repetitive work and fostering cooperation rather than competition among scientists. The promise of a cure is focused on the inner ear hair cells that make hearing possible. In humans, hearing loss and tinnitus are permanent once the hair cells are damaged. Bird and most non-mammals have the ability to spontaneously restore their hearing after they suffer hearing loss by regenerating their inner ear hair cells. The HRP consortium is taking what we know about these animals and aiming to translate this to humans.
HHF is also dedicated to promoting hearing health and preventing hearing loss. Our biggest vehicle for hearing health promotion and education is our quarterly magazine, Hearing Health, through which we share personal stories, research updates, and resources. Available in both print and digital, the magazine has an estimated quarterly reach of 1.3 million. Hearing Health is distributed for free to residences, hearing healthcare providers, Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) chapters, senior and nursing facilities, and pharmacies. Consumer readers rank Hearing Health as their top source for information on hearing loss and tinnitus, after their audiologists.
Additionally, HHF is a founding member of the Friends of the Congressional Hearing Health Caucus (FCHHC), the coalition that supports the policy interests of the Congressional Hearing Health Caucus (CHHC), a bipartisan U.S. House of Representatives caucus that aims to raise awareness of issues that affect Americans with hearing loss.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
HHF employs a scientifically rigorous and robust review and selection process for both the Emerging Research Grants (ERG) and Hearing Restoration Project (HRP) programs. Because the programs are structured differently, those processes function in different ways.
The ERG program is open to applications from any eligible researcher. Proposals are solicited in the fall, with a deadline in the late winter. All proposals go through a strenuous peer review process by members of the Scientific Review Committee. This committee meets as a whole to recommend a subset of applications to the Council of Scientific Trustees (CST), which likewise considers the subject of the research, the quality of its design, including the data collection and evaluation components, its potential to significantly advance basic knowledge or clinical application, the available facilities and personnel at the institution in which the research will be carried out, and the qualifications of the principal investigator (and any co-investigators as appropriate). The CST makes a recommendation to the Research Committee of HHF’s Board of Directors, which is composed of all directors with a Ph.D. and/or M.D. in the field. Effectively, applications go through three review bodies and a total of four rigorous rounds of review.
The HRP is organized in a consortium model, which means applications for funding are open only to consortium members. Consortium members are added by invitation only. Because they work closely together and projects are related and/or intersect with one another, the first rounds of review occur within the consortium itself. Members interested in putting forward a project for funding for the coming year submit proposals to the whole group for comment, and these go through a couple rounds of revision. Finalized proposals are then submitted to the Scientific Advisory Board, senior scientists in their fields, who review the proposals with the HRP’s scientific director to determine which are most urgent and best placed to advance the consortium’s strategic plan. Their recommendations are then, too, sent to the Board of Director’s Research Committee.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
HHF was founded as the Deafness Research Foundation by Collette Ramsey Baker, whose hearing was restored by surgery. In gratitude for her ability to hear, she founded the organization to develop better treatments and cures for hearing and balance conditions. More than 60 years later, HHF honors her legacy by continuing to fund the most promising hearing and balance research including studies of the temporal bone, cochlear implant technology, and hair cell regeneration.
Financials
Unlock nonprofit financial insights that will help you make more informed decisions. Try our monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights?
Learn more
about GuideStar Pro.
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Hearing Health Foundation
Board of directorsas of 01/17/2024
Elizabeth Keithley
No Affiliation
Term: 2022 -
Robert Boucai
Newbrook Capital Advisors
Roger Harris
Newland Capital Management
Judy Dubno
Medical University of South Carolina
Paul Orlin
Amici Capital
Elizabeth Keithley
University of California at San Diego
Anil K. Lalwani
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
Sophia L Boccard
Casa Lucila Hotel Boutique
Jason Frank
JP Morgan Chase & Co.
Robert Shannon
University of Southern California
Sharon Kujawa
Harvard Medical School
Nancy Young
Northwestern University
Jay Grushkin
Milbank LLP
Cary Kopczynski
Cary Kopczynski & Company
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
-
Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data